The World According To Madeleine

Track has been hard. Run a lot, no time to stretch, sore next day, walk like old person, can’t run. It’s fun though. I like running, I like being around my friends.

Eight chickens have died this week, Pollock got out and got them. Trick Chicken and Doris died. My chicken and my other favorite. Very sad, I cried. I don’t know who the other six are. I don’t want to go into the chicken coop to find out.

Sprig break started today. I don’t want it to. All but one of my friends are leaving, or have already left. I want to be at school where I can see everyone. Six hours into spring break and I’m already lonely. I need my friends.

New Modest Mouse cd, it’s a good one. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. I would recommend it, but not for people who don’t want their kids listening to songs with swear words or don’t like or are offended by profanity.

I’ve been riding Alaska more. I still like her, but turns are very hard. I can fully understand what Trevor (owner) meant when he said that Alaska is so big it’s hard to turn. Makes me sad that Guy won’t be at the barn anymore. I’m pretty sure he’s moving to a western barn. I think he has too much potential as a hunter/jumper for him to become a barrel racer. *sigh* I’ll miss him a lot. I don’t even know when he’s leaving.

Thus endeth my short post.

Right now….. it’s eighty degrees out. That does not happen in Michigan. Usually it’s cold and yucky and gray around now. There shouldn’t be flowers, it should be brown, my mom and I shouldn’t be wearing tank-tops and shorts (or capris), but rather jeans and a sweatshirt, I shouldn’t be happy and spring-ey and looking at clouds, I should be sad that it’s gray outside.

I am glad that it’s warm and sunny out, but in Michigan, that usually doesn’t happen. It’s much better weather to excercise in though. Today track started. It was really hard, especially since I already had run a mile in gym (which I also started today). My knees started to hurt really bad during gym. I’m not sure if it was my runner’s knee, the shoes I was wearing, or if it was just running in general. I had a slight limp the rest of the day and walking down stairs was bad. Then at track I ran a half-mile warm-up, then we were all timed at the mile. I got 7:44. I don’t think it was actually a mile. I don’t run miles in 7:44 when I’ve had a stress fracture and my knees hurt. Generally I just don’t run miles in 7:44. In gym I ran (almost) a mile in nine minutes.

Later I’m going to go ride.

Even though I wasn’t around in the ’70’s or ’80’s, I can still tell if a song is from that time period. Will people born in the year 2021 be able to tell if a song is from this decade? What will people even call this decade? or the next one? and what will I call my graduating class? The class of eleven doesn’t sound good, once you reach ten, and then until nineteen, it just sounds weird. Oh eight, oh nine….. ten? Just sounds funny…..

Last night I rode Alaska. I love her. She has beautiful, comfortable gaits, and is so much fun to jump. She’s about 16.3 and has a huge stride. I feel so tall and graceful on her. Mom said that as soon as I started trotting, I had the biggest smile on my face. That’s how much fun and smooth she is. She’s hard though. I’ll have to work really hard to learn how to ride her well, and there will be growing pains, I’m sure, but I can’t wait to ride her more.

Last summer, before I was riding Guy, I rode Alaska. She was available for half-lease, and, assuming she wasn’t too much for me, I would’ve been half-leasing her. Sadly, she had developed epm, which no one was aware of until right before my lesson on her. I rode Guy a couple weeks later, who was also available for half-lease and was a great horse for me, I’m half-leasing him now and Alaska has recovered completely. I’ve been to shows on Guy, and I have become a much better rider. Now, Guy’s owners are thinking of moving him to a barn closer to where they live. This is sad, because I will miss Guy very much. He taught me a lot. This is also a good thing, in a way. Rob said to my mom that I’m probably ready to move on to a different horse. So, even if Guy doesn’t leave, I’ll probably stop half-leasing him, and move on to another horse. There are several that I could half-lease, and Alaska is one of them. I think I’ll be riding her to see if I like her. I’m pretty sure I will, from seeing other people ride her. I hope so. I’ve always loved Alaska, and I love her owners too, which is good. I hope everything works out…

In auditions I thought I played well, but not that well. I’m first chair! That is huge because I’ll only be a freshmen next year. Freshmen don’t get first chair. I had to ask Cha several times if the asterik by my name actually meant I was first chair. I’m pretty sure she got annoyed. Out of at least twenty-two trumpets, I played the audition music best. I am so proud of myself. This also makes me nervous. I’ll have to be the first one to memorize music, the one to know all the rhythms, and just to be the best. I’m pretty sure the other trumpet players will be mad. Put yourself in their situation. There is a phenomenal trumpet player, she’s by far the best. This year she’ll be graduating, so you’ll at least you’ll have a chance at first chair, but then some freshmen comes and gets first chair. They even have the same name! I’d be ticked off if I had told people that no freshman would be in the top five chairs, but four of the five are freshmen. Wouldn’t you be hacked off? Hopefully they won’t be as mad at me once they get to know me….. I’m just so happy! Anna got first chair too!